--- title: Melania Trump's 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket Got Some Serious Backlash description: The First Lady's communications director said there was no "hidden message" canonical: https://time.com/5319414/melania-trump-jacket-texas-immigration/ author: Abigail Abrams article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-06-21T23:53:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:31:48.781Z article:section: Politics og:title: Melania Trump's 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket Got Some Serious Backlash og:description: The First Lady's communications director said there was no "hidden message" og:url: https://time.com/5319414/melania-trump-jacket-texas-immigration/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4444f49591c23b8c/698933a5096a948d216a2bc6/melania-trump-zara-jacket-immigration-detention.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3840 og:image:height: 2160 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-MIGRANTS-MELANIA-JACKET og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Melania Trump's 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket Got Some Serious Backlash twitter:description: The First Lady's communications director said there was no "hidden message" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4444f49591c23b8c/698933a5096a948d216a2bc6/melania-trump-zara-jacket-immigration-detention.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Melania Trump's 'I Really Don't Care' Jacket Did Not Go Over Well > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=181700be-7ff7-481c-bd78-f43454932726&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Melania Trump Wore a Jacket That Said 'I Really Don't Care' on It Ahead of Visit to Child Detention Center [Watch (HLS stream): Melania Trump Wore a Jacket That Said 'I Really Don't Care' on It Ahead of Visit to Child Detention Center](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rruMHnLo.m3u8) (0:25)  _Published 2018-06-22. First Lady Melania Trump wore a jacket that read, “I really don’t care. Do U?” ahead of her unannounced visit to a child detention center in Texas, drawing criticism from those who saw the wardrobe choice as insensitive._ by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jun 21, 2018 11:53 PM UTC First Lady Melania Trump wore a jacket that read, “I really don’t care. Do U?” ahead of her unannounced visit to a child detention center in Texas, drawing criticism from those who saw the wardrobe choice as insensitive. by [Abigail Abrams](https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Jun 21, 2018 11:53 PM UTC First Lady Melania Trump drew a storm of controversy on Thursday when she made an unannounced visit to see the [conditions of migrant families and children](http://time.com/5318542/first-lady-melania-trump-visit-child-detention-center/) being detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. But the outcry was not about the content of her visit so much as her attire. As Trump boarded her plane to Texas, she was photographed [wearing a jacket](http://time.com/5319150/melania-trump-jacket-texas/) that read, “I really don’t care. Do U?” While she was not wearing the jacket when she landed in McAllen, Texas, according to [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/21/politics/melania-trump-border-visit-immigration/index.html), the First Lady’s choice of attire struck many as insensitive. Her husband’s administration has received [widespread criticism](http://time.com/5318229/donald-trump-border-separation-policy/) in recent weeks over its “zero-tolerance” immigration policy, which has led to thousands of children being separated from their parents at the border while the adults are charged with illegally crossing into the U.S. After the intense backlash, President Donald Trump signed an [Executive Order](http://time.com/5318253/donald-trump-border-crisis-continues/) on Wednesday reversing the administration’s stance on family separation and saying families should be detained together. But immigrants’ advocates say this does not solve the problem and have accused the administration of not caring about the immigrants it is detaining. When the internet took notice of Melania Trump’s jacket on Thursday, her communications director responded by saying there was no “hidden message.” “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message. After today’s important visit to Texas, I hope the media isn’t going to choose to focus on her wardrobe,” the First Lady’s Communications Director Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. Grisham made a similar point on social media, tweeting a message with the hashtag “#ItsJustAJacket”. > [](https://twitter.com/StephGrisham45/status/1009881721012150272) However, the President soon contradicted this message by sending out his own interpretation of his wife’s outfit. > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1009916650622251009) Others were not as amused. Some Democratic members of Congress weighed in, making their displeasure clear. > [](https://twitter.com/repdinatitus/status/1009905201145434113) > [](https://twitter.com/RepValDemings/status/1009922733776494592) > [](https://twitter.com/davidcicilline/status/1009922807667490817) Some leaders of progressive groups and celebrities known for their liberal views also criticized the First Lady’s jacket. > [](https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1009871843174506496) > [](https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1009894851792515072) > [](https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1009912082655948802) > [](https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1009880928305532929) And even Dictionary.com decided to publish a pointed tweet defining the word “indifference” and explaining its definition matched what it saw as the First Lady’s message. > [](https://twitter.com/Dictionarycom/status/1009874874943397889) ## Transcript [00:00] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Mrs. Trump! Mrs. [00:00] Trump! 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